Refrigerator having an evaporator provided with a movable section



y 1952 M. G. SHOEMAKER ETAL 2,597,267

REFRIGERATOR HAVING AN EVAPORATOR PROVIDED WITH A MOVABLE SECTION 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 29, 1949 0 0 Ca. 2 n 2 0/ z i 2 3 (I 3 4-, TM2 2 x v if w 2 u \HH 5 R 8 2 In 6 2 2 k v a H y 1952 M. G. SHOEMAKERETAL 2,597,267

REFRIGERATOR HAVING AN EVAPORATOR PROVIDED WITH A MOVABLE SECTION 4Sheets-Sheet 55 Filed Nov. 29, 1949 IIIIIIIIIII.

T T T :3

m l T fl n T n l T f n 7 m a 2 a Z T n 0 Z l 1 1 1 n a y 20, 1952 M. G.SHOEMAKER ET AL 2,597,267

REFRIGERATOR HAVING AN EVAPORATOR PROVIDED WITH A MOVABLE SECTION FiledNov. 29, 1949 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 W I IN V EN TOR;

G, 8. m4 mm a ffli/IM/fii, 44

BY mm 114 2:42; 1/

Patented May 2%, 1952 REFRIGERATOR HAVING AN EVAPORATOR PROVIDED WITH AMOVABLE SECTION Malcolm G. Shoemaker, Doylestown, and Elmer W. Zearfoss,Jr., Philadelphia, Pa., assignors to Philco Corporation, Philadelphia,Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application November 29, 1949, SerialNo. 129,934

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to refrigerators and, particularly, tohousehold refrigerators of the type in which provision is made for thestorage of food at temperatures below freezing, as well as for thestorage of food at temperatures above freezing.

It will be appreciated that, for practical reasons, the over-all size ofa refrigerator which is adapted for household use, must be kept withincertain limits. This limitation'in the over-all size of therefrigerator, of course, controls the volume of the space which isavailable for the storage of food within the refrigerator. Moreover,since the interior of a refrigerator of the above-mentioned general typemust provide for a compartment maintained within a non-freezingtemperature range and a compartment maintained within a freezingtemperature range, it becomes necessary to effect a compromise betweenthe storage capacity of the non-freezing compartment and the storagecapacity of the freezing compartment. Because, in the average household,the bulk and quantity of food to be stored at freezing temperatures is,ordinarily, considerably less than the bulk and quantity of food to bestored at noni" freezing temperatures, it has become common practice todesign the freezing compartment (usually the evaporator) so as to occupya minor portion of the interior of the refrigerator, the remaining andmajor portion of said interior constituting the non-freezing storagespace. However, at times, the user may want to store food in bull; or inquantity greater than the predetermined storage space afforded by theconventional freezing compartment, will allow. At other times, the bull;or quantity of food to be stored in the freezing compartment may besmall and, in such instances, valuable storage space within therefrigerator becomes a total loss.

It is, therefore, the primary object of this invention to construct thefreezing compartment or evaporator of a household refrigerator in such amanner as to provide for selective and ready adjustment of said"compartment or evaporator, to increase or to lessen its storagecapacity in accordance with the bulk or quantity of the food to bestored. As a result, the user may vary the size of the freezingcompartment to suit existing needs, and thus gain full advantage of thespace within the refrigerator to satisfy various storage exigencies.

With more particularity, it is an object of the invention to provide,within a household refrigerator, an expansible freezing compartmentwhich may be made to occupy a minimum amount of the space within therefrigerator, when little or no food is to be placed in saidcompartment, and which may be conveniently and easily expanded toaccommodate food in larger bulk or quantity. Thusthere is provided arefrigerator in which it is possible to vary the ratio of freezing spaceto total storage space. Under all conditions the compartment can be soadjusted that the greatest possible amount of storage space, within therefrigerator, is left unobstructed for the storage of foods which neednot be kept at freezing temperatures.

Briefly stated, the preferred structure which this invention provides torealize the above stated general objectives, comprises complementarysections cooperating with each other to define a freezing compartmentwithin the space outlined by the inner liner of a household refrigeratorcabinet. The complementary sections are relatively adjustable so thatthe size of the compartment which they define, can be varied at the willof the user. The mentioned sections are advantageously constructed toform two separable halves of an evaporator of generally rectangularconfiguration and adapted to extend substantially across the full widthand depth of the space defined by the walls of the inner liner. Inpractice, one half of the evaporator is conveniently mounted in fixedposition, and the other half of the evaporator is mounted in such amanner as to be moved toward or away from the fixed half. Means iscooperatively associated with the movable half section of the evaporatorto effect its adjustment and its retention in adjusted position. Aclosure structure adapted for adjustment in conformity with the relativeadjustment of the complementary half sections, is provided to seal theopen side of the freezing compartment or evaporator.

The above-mentioned and other objects, and the manner in which they areattained, will be more fully understood from the following detaileddescription based on the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a householdrefrigeratorincorporating one embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view looking in the general directionof arrows 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view, generally similar to Figure 1, with theevaporator door open and certain parts broken away, to illustratecertain constructional features; I

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating constructionaldetails of the means-which Figure 8 is a sectional fragmentary view of a7 portion of the arrangement shown in Figure 7; and

Figure 9 is an elevational sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of theWindlass device employed in the embodiment shown in Figure 7.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the refrigerator, as shown,is of the usual up right type comprising a cabinet construction havingan outer shell I and an inner shell or liner H which is spaced from theouter shell and is insulated therefrom in the customary well knownmanner. The' inner liner defines a space of predetermined height, widthand depth within the cabinet, and this space is accessible through theopen front of the cabinet which is normally closed by means of a door(not shown) of conventional construction.

As best seen in Figures 2 and 3, the space which is defined by the innerliner is divided into two compartments [2 and [3. One compartment I2 isadapted to be maintained within a non-freezing temperature range for thestorage of food to be kept at non-freezing temperatures, and the othercompartment I3 is adapted to be maintained within a freezing temperaturerange for the storage of food to be kept at freezing temperatures. Thelatter or freezing compartment is advantageously provided by means of anevaporator structure which is designated, in its entirety, by thereference character [4, and which forms a part of the usual refrigeratorsystem (not shown).

Following customary practice, the evaporator structure is located in theupper part of the space defined by the inner liner, and is adapted tospan the liner walls so that the underside of "the evaporator cooperateswith said walls to provide the non-freezing compartment which, thus,occupies all of the space available below the evaporator. As illustratedin Figures 1 and 3, channels l5 are conveniently provided on the sidewalls of the inner liner, below the evaporator, to support removabletrays and shelves which serve to support the food placed within thenon-freezing compartment. The tray I6,

shown in Figures 1 and 3, can be advantageously used as a meat panandbecause of its construction and location, can and does act as abafiie for the air circulating about the evaporator and the aircirculating within the non-freezing compartment. This tray may also beused as a drip pan during defrosting of the evaporator.

In accordance with the present invention, the evaporator is soconstructed that the compartment which it outlines. can be increased ordecreased in size to accommodate the storage of food in various bulk orquantity. For that purpose, the evaporator preferably comprises twocomplementary sections, that is, an upper half section I"! and a lowerhalf section l8. each section having a horizontal wall and vertical endwall portions. The upper half section I1 of the evaporator isfixedlymounted as by means of screw threaded elements I9 which fasten said 4upper half section to the opposite side walls of the liner, adjacent thetop of the latter. The lower half section I 3 is mounted to be loweredor raised with respect to the fixed upper half section, therebyseparating the horizontal walls of the sections to a greater or lesserextent and. accordingly, increasing or decreasing the vertical dimensionof the freezing compartment, as is graphically represented by arrows A,B and C in Figure 2. The vertical end wall portions of the upper halfsection of the evaporator may be conveniently provided with horizontalextensions ZIJ terminating with upturned flanges 2|. These extensionsare directed inwardly of the evaporator structure and serve as shelvesfor supporting ice trays or the like. If desired, an additional shelvingmember 22 which, as best seen in Figure 3, has the form of a flat metalplate, may be removably hung from the upturned flanges of extensions 20,to provide a horizontal continuation of said extensions. The verticalend wall portions of lower half section I8 of the evaporator areadvantageously provided with L-shaped flanges 23 which form seatsaccommodating the end wall portions of the upper half section of theevaporator, when said wall portions of the upper and lower half sectionsare brought into vertical abutting relationship by movement of the lowerhalf section to its uppermost position.

As more clearly appears in Figure 6, a refrigerant circulating conduit24 is arranged in a continuous circuitous path about the upper and lowerhalf sections of the evaporator. Those portions of the conduit which runacross the evaporator sections are suitably affixed to said sections tobecome parts thereof. However, portions of the conduit which run fromone section to the other section of the evaporator, are supported freeof said sections. In practice, these latter portions are disposedadjacent the opposite ends of the evaporator structure and are formed toprovide elongated vertical loops 25 which substantially parallel the endwall portions of the evaporator sections. It will be understood that thepresence of the loops 25, because of their elongated formation and theirfreedom to fiex, provide for the circulation of refrigerant from oneevaporator section to the other without interfering with the up or downmovement of the evaporator lower half section.

As illustrated in the drawings, the movable lower half section of theevaporator is adjusted and supported in an intermediate position. Fromthis position, said movable section may be adjusted and supported at ahigher or lower level as is indicated, for instance, in Figure 2. Forthat purpose, according to the embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 5,hangers 26 are afiixed in spaced relationship along the rear edgeportion of the evaporator lower half section. These hangers project fromsaid edge portion and are adapted for selective engagement withapertures 21 (see Figures 3 and 4) arranged in vertical rows in recessedplates 28 which are conveniently mounted on the back wall of the innerliner, in position to register with said hangers. A generally tubulartrim member 29 is suitably attached along the front edge portion of theevaporator lower half section and receives slidable rods 30 havingoutwardly directed hook ends 3| selectively engageable with stops 32which are conveniently arranged in vertical rows within channels 33secured to the side walls of the inner liner. The number of stops 32 isequal to the number of apertures '21, and said stops and apertures areso disposed'with respect to each other that, when the lower half sectionof the evaporator is properly adjusted in any one of its operativepositions, said section is maintained in a substantially horizontalplane. The inner ends of rods 38 are spaced from each other and havedepending handles 34 wfich project through elongated slots provided atan intermediate portion of the trim member 29. Coil springs are retainedin said slots and bear against said inner ends of the rods to impart alongitudinal thrust to said rods, thereby urging hook ends 3| out-,wardly to the extent allowed by the engagement of the handles withinthe slots in trim member 29. A convenient way of manipulating the lowerhalf section of the evaporator to change it from one to another of itspositions, will be best understood by referring to Figure 4. As willappear from this figure, the evaporator section l8 may first be liftedso as to permit disengagement and withdrawal of hangers 26 from theassociated apertures in plates 28. The evaporator. movable section maythen be angularly raised (or lowered) so that. theback portion of saidsection brings the hangers in position to register with other aperturesin said plates, the hook ends 3! in engagement with the associated stops32 serving as pivots during this raising (or-lowering) movement of thesection. Thereafter, the forward edge portion of the evaporator movablesection is raised (or lowered) so as to bring hook ends 31 in engagementwith a new set of stops, thereby leveling the evaporator section in itsnew position. In practice, each stop 32 is advantageously provided witha downwardly tapered surface 38, thereby permitting the hook ends 3! toride over the stops, and eliminating the necessity of manipulatinghandles 34 when the movable section is raised from a lower to a higherposition. During handling of the movable evaporator section to lower thesame, the handles 34 are manually drawn toward each other to retractrods 30 against the force of coil springs 35, so that the hook ends mayclear the upper stops. The recessed plates in which apertures 2! areprovided, and the channels in which stops 32 are arranged,advantageously serve as guides for hangers 25 and the hooks 3! whenmoving up or down during adjustment of evaporator section l8.

According to the embodiment shown in Figures 7, 8 and 9, a Windlassdevice indicated, generally, at 40, is employed to adjust the movablehalf section of the evaporator. The use of a device of this kind makesunnecessary the direct handling of the movable evaporator section toeffect its movement to and from its various positions. Further, such adevice eliminates the use of elements like the apertured plates, stops,hangers and retractable hooks. As clearly seen in Figures 7 and 9, theWindlass device comprises a worm screw 4! provided at one end portion ofan elongated shaft 42, and a worm wheel 43 with which a spool M isrigidly connected, in concen tric relationship. In practice, the wormgear and spool are advantageously made as integral parts which, togetherwith the worm screw carrying shaft, are rotatably mounted in a bearingbracket 45, aflixed upon the top wall of the inner liner. A secondbracket 46 which is also disposed on the top wall of the inner liner,supports the forward end portion of rotatable shaft 42. This latter endportion of the rotatable shaft extends 41, which is accessible formanual operation of the Windlass device.

The spool 44 is provided with radial bores 48 and 49 (Figure 9) whichcross each other approximately at the center of rotation of said spool,in planes which lie one above the other. Flexible cables 50 and 5| arethreaded through bores 48 and 49, respectively. The cables have theirends securely attached to the corner portions of the evaporator movablesection by means of connecting brackets, one of which is clearly shownat 52 in Figure 8. These brackets are rigidly connected, as at 53, tosaid movable section, and are vertically slidable in guides which areconveniently provided by means of elongated vertical embossments 54formed in the side walls of the inner liner. The upper extremities ofthe embossments or guides are open and provided with apertured sealingplugs 55 through which the cables pass. The cables, as best seen inFigure '7, are. guided by means of pulleys 56 disposed at the oppositecorner portions of the top of the inner liner. .As more clearly seen inFigure 8, eachconnecting bracket 52 is advantageously provided with anextension 520. having a horizontal channel member 51. These channel mem--bers slidably receive and support a tray 58 beyond the front edge ofthe liner, and is probeneath the evaporator movable section at apredetermined fixed position with respect to said movable section.

From the foregoing description of the arrangement as shown in Figures '7and 8, it will be understood that the evaporator movable half sectionmay be raised (or lowered) by actuation of the Windlass device throughmanipulation of the handle or knob ll. Referring to Figure 9, theWindlass device as shown is in the condition it assumes when the movablesection of the evaporator is in its lowermost position. In thisconclition, the cables are fully unwound and the length of each cable issuch that the connecting brackets are suspended within the lower endportions of embossments 54 on the side walls of the inner liner. FromFigure 9, it will be understood that actuation of the Windlass device tocause rotation of the spool 44 either in clockwise direction or incounter-clockwise direction, will take up the connected portions ofcables 50 and 5 I, and wind them about the spool. Accordingly, thebrackets, in the channeled embossments 54, are pulled upwardly and theevaporator movable section is raised toward the fixed section. When theevaporator movable section has once been raised, it can again be loweredby actuation of the Windlass device to cause rotation of the spool in adirection opposite to that in which it was initially rotated to elevatesaid movable section, because rotation of the spool in said oppositedirection unwinds the connected portions of the cables, and allows saidsection to slide downwardly under the infiuenceof its own weight.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 1 through 5, as well as in theembodiment shown in Figures 7 and 8, the open front of the evaporatorstructure is adapted to be closed by means of a suitable door 59 whichis capable of being adjusted to conform with the adjustment of theevaporator lower half section in relation to the evaporator upper halfsection. A flexible door of the type illustrated in the drawings issuitable for the purpose. Such a door is guided in the aforementionedchannels 33 which are disposed adjacent the front ends of the evaporatorstructure and extended upwardly and rearwardly, as shown at 60, alongthe side edges ofthe top .7 wall of the fixed half section l1, so thatthe door can be rolled up to open the freezing compartment, and rolleddown to close said compartment.

The door is such that,,when closed, it reaches.

the forward edge portion of the bottom wall of lower half section I8 ofthe evaporator, regardless of the position in which said section isadjusted.

By employing the invention as embodied in either form herein shown anddescribed, it will be appreciated that a household refrigerator can bemade to conform most readily to the need of the user who, on occasions,may want to store, within the freezing compartment of the refriger ator,food in bulk or quantity larger than could be accommodated inrefrigerators of conventional design. The invention, therefore, enhancesthe usefulness of household refrigerators by making it possible to adaptthe storage capacity of a freezing compartment, such as is defined bythe walls of an evaporator, to suit the requirements of the user.Especially, the provision of an expandable evaporator constructed inaccordance with the invention, has the decided advantage that theevaporator can be made to occupy a minimum amount of the space withinthe household refrigerator whenever no extraordinary need exists forstoring food atfreezing temperatures, and still can be made, withinreasonable limits, to take care of eventualities which demand more spacefor the storage of food at freezing temperatures.

While, for purposes of illustration, two preferred embodiments of theinvention have been illustrated and described with particularity, itwill be understood that such embodiments are susceptible of changes andmodifications without departing from the essential spirit of thisinvention. The invention contemplates mounting of a refrigerated plate,or other form of evaporator in such a way as to make it possible to varythe ratio of freezing space to total storage space within the cabinet,and, in the broader aspect of the invention, the evaporator may take avariety of forms. It will be recognized, however, that such changes andmodifications are contemplated, as come within the scope of the appendedclaims.

We claim:

1. In a refrigerator, an inner liner defining a space within arefrigerator, complementary sections'cooperating with each other todefine a freezing compartment within said space, said sections beingmounted for selective adjustment with respect to each other to vary thesize of said compartment, and a closure structure for said compartmentadapted for adjustment in conformity with the relative adjustment ofsaid sections.

2. A refrigerator evaporator comprising upper and lower complementarysections cooperable to provide top and bottom walls of a freezingcompartment, the upper section having a pair of spaced downwardlyextending wall portions each of which is provided with a shelf portionextending inwardly of the freezing compartment, the lower section beingmovable toward and away from said upper section to vary the size of saidfreezing compartment, and pan-carrying means depending from and movablewith said lower section.

3. In a refrigerator, an inner liner having walls defining a spacewithin the refrigerator, a refrigerant evaporator constructed of twoseparable complementary sections cooperating with each other to define afreezing compartment within said space, one section cooperating withcertain walls of the inner liner to define a nonfreezing compartmentwithin said space, and means supporting said one section for selectiveadjustment in said space with respect to the other section and to saidcertain walls of the inner liner, said last mentioned means including aWindlass device supported on the inner liner and connected with theevaporator adjustable section.

MALCOLM G. SHOEMAKER. ELMER W. ZEARFOSS, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,706,891 Kusel et a1 Mar. 26,1929 2,110,002 Lichtenberg Mar. 1, 1938 2,145,562 Crosley et a1 Apr. 18,1939 2,231,012 Kleist Feb. 11, 1941 2,255,459 Vretman Sept. 9, 19412,511,127 Philipp June 13, 1950

